Thursday, March 2nd and Friday, March 3rd, 2023 - Final Stop, Auckland

 I had not paid much attention to Auckland as I planned our trip. Toni had arranged for us to go to a rock concert on the Thursday night and we had shopping interests and other tasks that took up most of Thursday. As a result, I didn't have a plan for possible outings.

Mt. Eden Road

We stayed in a suburb called Epsom, a few miles south of the Auckland city center. Many of the services we sought, including the concert, were on Mt. Eden Road, a bustling street which was only a few miles from out AirBnB.

Traffic! on Mt. Eden Road

Unfortunately, one of my enduring memories of Auckland will be that the traffic was very heavy. In other parts of New Zealand, the wonderful roundabout had been the traffic management tool of choice, which allows the traffic to continue to flow. Here in Auckland, it was back to traffic lights. Perhaps the volume of traffic demands that, but it sure seemed to slow things down.

Pedestrians Are Free to Cross in Any Direction

I also realized that the other factor was that the entire traffic flow was held up for pedestrians to cross - their own set of red lights that stopped traffic in all directions, with only pedestrians moving. This is nice for the pedestrians, for sure, as they can go across diagonally if they wish. However, it seemed to slow the traffic down even further.

Price of Petrol (Gas)

While on the subject of traffic, it bears noting that the price of petrol (gas) in New Zealand is much higher than in the USA. The sign here says NZD $2.63 for the cheapest unleaded. Doesn't look bad to our eyes, does it? However, that's per liter, and there are 3.79 liters in a gallon. That means New Zealanders pay NZD $9.97 per gallon. Using the exchange rate for March 2nd when the photo was taken, that's USD $6.22, so they are paying nearly twice as much for gas was we do in the USA. Toni and I had hired a hybrid car, so fortunately the bite at the pump was not so bad.

Waiting at the Burger Geek

After running our errands on Thursday, Toni and I ate at The Burger Geek, where they sell smashed beef patties, as opposed to hamburgers. I'm not sure what difference it made. It got busier after we ordered and a few 'crazies' wandered past us as we ate at the tables on the street, each of them mumbling profanities as they passed. (Not sure if it is politically correct to refer to people as 'crazies', but I think it describes the situation clearly. They were definitely not of right mind.) Happily they did not bother us.

Hoodoo Gurus

Then it was on to the rock concert at a venue called The Powerstation. The group was an Australian band and the opening group was a New Zealand group called Bam Bam Bam. Now, in all my 71 years, I have never been to a rock concert, so you can see what a sheltered life I've led! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I understood there were few seats - most of the space is standing room only. I was fearful I was going to end up in some type of mosh pit surrounded by youth who were much more energetic than me in their enthusiasm. Happily, it turned out most of the crowd was within a few decades from me and were appreciative, well behaved and familiar with the music. We also managed to procure a couple of the few seats that were available, so I was happy.

Women's Bathroom, The Powerstation

It turns out the music was as loud and in your face as the colors in the women's bathroom. Being able to feel the beat in my chest was a new experience for me and I wasn't sure how my eardrums were going to survive, but Toni (who is a veteran at this) assured me that it wasn't very loud at all! It was a fun outing, but I probably won't be running off to the next gig in my area!

Galbraith's Alehouse, Mt. Eden Road

We left before the concert was over and it was a lovely night outside, with a full moon. Some of the building were beautifully lit, so here's a few pictures of them.

The Orange Coronation Hall

This was near our car. It was apparently a hub of social life in Auckland. It was a ballroom from the 1920's through to the late 1980's when it became a church. It is now just a façade, slated to become an apartment complex. Sad ending.

Davenport Ferry Terminal

While at The Powerstation, I had talked to a couple of local women and asked for sightseeing recommendations. They live in Devonport which is across the harbor from the city, north of where we were staying. They told me there is a very nice waterfront there to walk around and recommended that I take a ferry from the city. They also told me that parking downtown is not easy, so I drove to Devonport the next morning.

Auckland City

Aucland City Center looked very high and modern off in the distance, but I can't tell you what it is like. No doubt the ferry ride would have been nice, but I decided instead to take a walk out the a place called North Head, where the entrance to Waitemata Harbour starts. 

Devonport

Devonport was very sedate for being a place that occupies prime real estate close to both the ocean and the harbor. It definitely had a Victorian era feel to it.

Duder's Beach Reserve

There is a very nice walkway along the beach with playgrounds and places for people to sit. In this photo, you can see my destination, North Head, or Maungauika.

A Victorian Style House

Some of the houses could have come from Fernandina Beach.

Devonport from North Head - Mt. Victoria on the Right

It might not surprise you by now to learn that North Head is a volcanic cone, as is Mt. Victoria which you can see in the photo above. Happily, they are no longer active ........

Rangitoto Island

....... but if you just turn around 180 degrees and look out into the ocean there is an active volcano facing you, Rangitoto Island. Its last eruptions were about 600 years ago, and it has a total of about a 1,000 years of eruption history.  It is considered dormant now and is the only one of 50 plus volcanoes in this area that could possibly erupt in the future according to volcanologists. The rest of the volcanoes near Auckland started being active about 250,000 years ago and have been nicely behaved, only extruding freely flowing basaltic  lava - not explosive types like Mt. St. Helens. Because it doesn't show current signs of activity, Rangitoto Island is a tourist destination and has holiday homes on it.

Fort Cautley on North Head

The entrance to harbors are places of military strategic importance and North Head is no exception. The installation here was called Fort Cautly and is now more or less a military museum. It was built in response to fears of military danger from Russia in the 1880's, and utilized in the first and Second World Wars. It was also used as a internment camp for Germans living in New Zealand during the Second World War. I thought it looked quite ugly.

Steps Down to Cheltenham Beach

As I continued north to Cheltenham Beach on the ocean side, the signs of military readiness continued. This bunker reminded me of similar structures along Sandy Bay Road in Hobart, close to my grandmother's house. They were creepy places to hang out in. At least in New Zealand they are not going to house snakes and spiders!

Looking South Toward North Head from Cheltenham Beach

I admired the fact that although there were houses fronting on to the beach, they were not ostentatious or multi-storied. It really was a lovely, uncrowded place - surprising so close to a major city.

Another Victorian Beauty

I continued to enjoy my stroll - it really was a delightful area.

A House for Fairies

The house with the red door (above) had some trees in their nature strip which had a variety of little ceramic abodes and mushrooms, with little wooden ladders made of twigs going up the trees. They were very cute. The sign said they were there for the fairies, so I hope they are well used.

Victoria Road, Devonport

My amblings in the quiet neighborhood came to an end and it was back to the busy-ness of Devonport's main street. 

Victoria Arcade

Some of the old storefronts had been enclosed into an arcade that was rather nice.

Thumbs up From the Waiter.

The waiter gave me a thumbs up when he saw me taking photos. I figure he must be called 'Red'!

Mt. Eden

My final destination for the day was Mt. Eden, not far from 'home'. As you might guess, it was another volcanic cone! This one, however had a very obvious crater in it, which you should be able to see in the photo.

Looking North to Devonport

It offered lovely views. In the photo above, you can see the downtown, Mt. Victoria, North Head and Rangitoto Island where I had spent the morning.

Sky Tower Looms Over Mt. Eden Lookout

The Sky Tower downtown is 1,076 feet high, but Mt. Eden is only 643 feet. I was impressed to see it towering above the platform on Mt. Eden, especially as it is three miles away.

You can see my last day here was very beautiful. It was a stark contrast to the weather the city was experiencing when I first set out from the USA. It has been a marvelous time of exploration, learning and visiting with my two sisters and long-time school friend. Yet there had been two desires in my heart that were not yet fulfilled.

Hills Rotary Hoist Clothesline

This is very random (or as the guide at Hobbiton called it 'quirky'), but I have wanted to get a photo of a Hill's Rotary Hoist for a long time. I have photos of people drying laundry from all over the world, but none showing the way we dried laundry when I was a kid. I thought finding a hoist on this trip would be easy, but it wasn't until our second to last day in Auckland that I finally found one loaded with beautiful white sheets! Cross that one off the list now!

Kia's Moko

The other heart's desire I carried with me was the hope of seeing someone with a facial tattoo (called a moko) who I could photograph. As I had not taken advantage of any of the touristy opportunities to visit Maori performances, I figured that hope was past. On my last afternoon, as I approached Mt. Eden for my last activity, I saw a young man sitting in the grass by the side of the parking lot on the mountain, reading a book with the very tattoo I had hoped to see. I hesitated - 'Dare I ask?' Finally, I approached him, told him I'd been here five weeks and that he was the first person I'd seen with the facial tattoo that I'd hoped to photograph. Before he would answer my request, he said 'Tell me about yourself. Who are you?' And so began a lovely conversation with the young man, whose name was Kia.

Kia explained that his grandfather had been imprisoned for having tattoos such as the ones he wears. He said that there are a number of young people today who are re-claiming the traditional tattoo and that he is one of them. He is the only one in his family who has chosen to have the moko and he says it has not been without some downside. He told me he is a chef and comes from the Bay of Islands north of Auckland. His mother is Scottish and father is Maori, so he said he has seen the best and worst of both worlds. 

The lines that flare from the sides of his nostrils to his ears represent his 'water' or his place. The ones that come up from his chin across his lips to his nose represent the in-breath and the curlicues underneath his nostrils are the out-breath. I suspect his explanation to me was quite simplistic, so I hope I have represented it correctly. He did not explain the barbed wire across his eyebrow - perhaps that is a reference to his grandfather's punishment in the days when these traditions were being suppressed. I really appreciated my conversation with him and treasure the photos he allowed me to take. He liked this one in particular - I think the slightly askance, downward look appealed to him, yet he is looking directly at us.

I can't think of a better way to end my blog relaying my travels in New Zealand. The following day I was to fly home. 

I thank you for joining me and hope you, too have enjoyed this journey and learned new things alongside me. 

Mural, Devonport

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• Mā te wā - See you next time
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